Kinect

The Kinect has turned out to be something that in my house at least rarely gets used. It is a very cool device though and I continue to be amazed at some of the things that geeks are able to hack the Kinect to do. One of the latest hacks turns the Kinect into a crude 3D scanner that can turn the pose the person stands with in front of the camera into a foam bust.

Microsoft has previewed a next-gen UI for smartphones, tablets and PCs, which evolves the traditional windows and icons into bubbles of information which can be manipulated with motion-tracking hardware. The video, presented by Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie, shows how gadgets like Kinect and multitouch displays like Surface can be used for more naturalistic interaction with data.

Microsoft is planning a conference at the upcoming Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week in San Francisco. Not many details on what the conference will be about specifically, but it is rumored to be Kinect focused.

Microsoft’s Kinect has been the target of hackers since the day it launched. Since the Kinect recognizes gestures and movements the number of hacks seems limitless. Another one has popped up on YouTube today and demonstrates a more entertaining and interactive way to vacuum with a roomba.

There are more ways for using your Kinect than just playing games. Some folks over at MIT managed to create an actuated surface that can be gesture controlled--a system made possible by employing openCV, Kinect, and probably lots of brain power.

Kinect hacks are coming with geeks taking the device that Microsoft intended for the Xbox 360 console and hacking it to do things Microsoft never envisioned. As it, turns out the hacking community for the Kinect grew quickly and today the Kinect will do things like allowing doctors to perform surgery, control robots, and lots more.

The video game market finds itself in a rather interesting place. Its consoles are still selling exceptionally well, some of the best games released in a long time hit store shelves in 2010, and yet, consumers, pundits, and analysts are wondering when Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo will be announcing new consoles.

So you've been eyeing the Microsoft Kinect for some time but haven't been able to cough up the $150? There are much cheaper alternatives out there, and one of them is the MotionZone coming out later this year.

First, watch your ports! Turns out there's a way for people to hack the crap out of your computer just by attaching their Android to it. Next take a ride on the confirmation train with both T-Mobile Galaxy S 4G and Vibrant 4G, and take a peek at some possible specs on the Samsung’s Galaxy S2, too. Here on SlashGear take a peek at the lovely brand new Jawbone ERA in a high-res review. Next go ahead and take that big jump with Google Voice as they introduce mobile number porting. Remember when LoveFilm bought Amazon Europe's DVD rental service? Now Amazon is buying LoveFilm - how about that? Remember how big A likes to add features to their OS? It seems as though iPhone iOS 4.3 has multitouch gestures - oh and iPad 2? February 9, perhaps. All this and MORE on SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up.